Stephen Hawking | The Guardianhttp://www.theguardian.com/science/hawking
Latest news and features from theguardian.com, the world's leading liberal voiceen-gbGuardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. 2015Tue, 03 Mar 2015 22:59:18 GMT2015-03-03T22:59:18Zen-gbGuardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. 2015The Guardianhttp://assets.guim.co.uk/images/guardian-logo-rss.c45beb1bafa34b347ac333af2e6fe23f.pnghttp://www.theguardian.com
Eddie Redmayne wins best actor Oscar for portrayal of Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everythinghttp://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/feb/23/eddie-redmayne-wins-best-actor-oscar-for-the-theory-of-everything
<p>British actor wins first Oscar, beating a field including Birdman star Michael Keaton<br></p><p>Eddie Redmayne has won the best actor Oscar for his performance as Professor Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything.</p><p>The British actor came to the Oscars the favourite after claiming the Screen Actors’ Guild’s best actor award last month. The winner of that award has gone on to pick up the best actor Oscar every year since 2003. </p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/feb/23/birdman-wins-big-two-oscars-but-ties-with-grand-budapest-hotel-for-awards-tally">Birdman wins big two Oscars but ties with Grand Budapest Hotel for awards tally</a> </p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/feb/23/eddie-redmayne-wins-best-actor-oscar-for-the-theory-of-everything">Continue reading...</a>Oscars 2015The Theory of EverythingCultureFilmOscarsEddie RedmayneStephen HawkingFelicity JonesAwards and prizesUS newsMon, 23 Feb 2015 16:57:18 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/feb/23/eddie-redmayne-wins-best-actor-oscar-for-the-theory-of-everythingPhotograph: Jonny Birch/Rex FeaturesActing genius ... Eddie RedmaynePhotograph: Jonny Birch/Rex FeaturesActing genius ... Eddie RedmayneHenry Barnes2015-02-23T16:57:18ZOscars 2015: Birdman takes flight but Boyhood suffers growing pains | Peter Bradshawhttp://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/feb/23/oscars-2015-birdman-takes-flight-but-boyhood-suffers-growing-pains
<p>Alejandro González Iñárritu’s fantasia of mid-life crisis came out on top, but surely it’s an injustice that Boyhood failed to win best picture</p><p><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/feb/23/birdman-wins-big-two-oscars-but-ties-with-grand-budapest-hotel-for-awards-tally">Oscars 2015: Birdman wins big</a></p><p>So a perfectly decent, unexceptional and interesting list of Oscar winners has been topped off with a frustrating anti-climax. And the evening suffered from a very uncertain host performance from poor Neil Patrick Harris, who never seemed sure if he was going to be an old-fashioned showtune guy or a real standup comic. He remained amiable and likable, but died a slow death, with an absence of laughs. He had nothing like the energy or pizzazz of Ellen DeGeneres last year, with her web-smashing selfie, or indeed Tina Fey and Amy Poehler at the Golden Globes. My colleague Stuart Heritage called this event the American Eurovision, and that about sums up its weird directionless kitschiness. </p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/feb/23/oscars-2015-birdman-takes-flight-but-boyhood-suffers-growing-pains">Continue reading...</a>Oscars 2015OscarsFilmNeil Patrick HarrisSelmaDavid OyelowoRichard LinklaterBoyhoodPatricia ArquetteBirdmanAlejandro González IñárrituMichael KeatonJulianne MooreStill AliceEddie RedmayneThe Theory of EverythingAwards and prizesCultureStephen HawkingJK SimmonsWhiplashThe Imitation GameBenedict CumberbatchIdaWorld cinemaCitizenfourDocumentaryThe Grand Budapest HotelWes AndersonMon, 23 Feb 2015 11:51:16 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/feb/23/oscars-2015-birdman-takes-flight-but-boyhood-suffers-growing-painsPhotograph: AFP PHOTO / Robyn BECKROBYN BECK/AFP/Getty ImagesRight choice? ... the Birdman team celebrate their best picture winPhotograph: AFP PHOTO / Robyn BECKROBYN BECK/AFP/Getty ImagesRight choice? ... the Birdman team celebrate their best picture winPeter Bradshaw2015-02-23T11:51:16ZOscars 2015: Birdman and Boyhood set for a sumo contesthttp://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2015/feb/20/oscars-2015-boyhood-birdman-contest-richard-linklater-inarritu
<p>I’ll be on tenterhooks on Sunday night, hoping Richard Linklater’s coming-of-age classic gets the attention it deserves – though will Birdman’s Iñárritu take off with the best director gong? It’s all to play for as the ceremony nears<br></p><p>Cover the Academy Awards long enough, and a certain sheepish self-consciousness sets in. Look back at the ghosts of Oscars ceremonies past, and it’s like discovering old photos of yourself in once-trendy clothes. Yikes! Did we really devote all that brow-furrowing critical attention to <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/2012/nov/08/argo-review">Argo (best picture, 2012)</a>, an engaging but supremely middleweight true-life dramedy about the 1979 Iran hostage crisis? Did we really spend so much time <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/2002/dec/21/features.johnpatterson">reflecting upon Catherine Zeta-Jones</a> (best supporting actress, 2002) and her competent performance in the musical <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/movie/94449/chicago">Chicago</a>? We did. As the late <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/jan/18/christopher-hitchens-socialist-neocon">Christopher Hitchens</a> remarked: it’s impossible to have a nourishing conversation about last year’s Oscars results.</p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/feb/19/oscars-2015-peter-bradshaws-award-predictions">Who will win Oscars in 2015? And who should?</a> </p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2015/feb/20/oscars-2015-boyhood-birdman-contest-richard-linklater-inarritu">Continue reading...</a>Oscars 2015OscarsBoyhoodRichard LinklaterPatricia ArquetteAlejandro González IñárrituBirdmanMichael KeatonEddie RedmayneFelicity JonesThe Theory of EverythingStephen HawkingMaxine PeakeAwards and prizesFilmCultureSteve CarellFoxcatcherDavid OyelowoJulianne MooreStill AliceMarion CotillardTwo Days, One NightJK SimmonsWhiplashPaul Thomas AndersonInherent ViceThomas PynchonFilm adaptationsLeviathanIdaThe Lego MovieAnimationUnder The SkinBooksFri, 20 Feb 2015 15:43:11 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2015/feb/20/oscars-2015-boyhood-birdman-contest-richard-linklater-inarrituPhotograph: Rex/AllstarTake your pick ... best picture nominations, clockwise from top left: The Imitation Game, Boyhood, Birdman, Selma, Whiplash, American Sniper, The Grand Budapest Hotel and The Theory of Everything. Photo: Rex/AllstarPhotograph: Rex/AllstarTake your pick ... best picture nominations, clockwise from top left: The Imitation Game, Boyhood, Birdman, Selma, Whiplash, American Sniper, The Grand Budapest Hotel and The Theory of Everything. Photo: Rex/AllstarPeter Bradshaw2015-02-20T15:43:11ZOscars 2015: what will win best picture?http://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/feb/13/oscars-2015-who-will-win-best-picture
<p>It looks like a straight fight between Birdman and Boyhood – but can any of the other contenders make a dent in the tussle over the biggest Oscar of all?</p><ul><li><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/series/oscar-predictions-2015">Read the rest of the Oscar predictions here</a><br></li></ul><p>So it all comes down to this. After three consecutive years of nine nominees in the newly elasticated best picture category, the Academy collectively (albeit not intentionally) elected to dock this year’s field by one. (Foxcatcher, with its surprise best director bid and four nominations besides, appears to have been the unlucky #9 finisher.) This slight shrinking of the roster feels appropriate for a race that has been more closely fought than usual – at least half this year’s best picture nominees have looked like potential winners at one point or another, though it appears to have boiled down to a squeaker between two oppositely-styled independents from the same mini-major studio.</p><p>Since the expansion of the best picture category, there’s been a near-annual slot for the previous year’s big Sundance winner – a tip of the hat to the scrappier strand of “true” independent cinema that has yet to enjoy its big Oscar moment, as opposed to the polished mid-range indies that are now the Academy’s bread and butter. So it is that Whiplash follows in the footsteps of Precious, Winter’s Bone and Beasts of the Southern Wild. And while it could convert a few of its five nominations to gold – JK Simmons has it locked, though I’m betting it will nab wins for adapted screenplay and editing too – most voters will deem the sweaty, shouty drumming drama not quite their tempo in the top category.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/feb/13/oscars-2015-who-will-win-best-picture">Continue reading...</a>Oscars 2015OscarsFoxcatcherWhiplashSundance film festivalJK SimmonsThe Imitation GameThe King's SpeechToronto film festivalBaftasGolden GlobesBaftas 2015Golden Globes 2015Harvey WeinsteinThe Theory of EverythingStephen HawkingAlan TuringMartin Luther KingSelmaDavid OyelowoParamount PicturesInterstellarAmerican SniperClint EastwoodBradley CooperThe Grand Budapest HotelBerlin film festival20th Century FoxBirdmanWes AndersonAlejandro González IñárrituBoyhoodRichard LinklaterAwards and prizesFestivalsFri, 13 Feb 2015 15:53:21 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/feb/13/oscars-2015-who-will-win-best-pictureComposite: Rex/AllstarOscar nominations for best film. Clockwise from top left: The Imitation Game, Boyhood, Birdman, Selma, Whiplash, American Sniper, The Grand Budapest Hotel and The Theory of EverythingComposite: Rex/AllstarOscar nominations for best film. Clockwise from top left: The Imitation Game, Boyhood, Birdman, Selma, Whiplash, American Sniper, The Grand Budapest Hotel and The Theory of EverythingGuy Lodge2015-02-13T15:53:21ZAlien search won't doom planet Earth, say scientists who want to contact EThttp://www.theguardian.com/science/2015/feb/12/alien-search-wont-doom-planet-earth-say-scientists-who-want-to-contact-et
<p>Fears over new Seti plan to repeatedly broadcast greetings to habitable planets for hundreds of years dismissed as paranoia </p><p>Fears that a major program to contact alien life could spell disaster for planet Earth were dismissed as “paranoid” on Thursday by scientists who hope to beam messages to distant worlds from powerful radio telescopes.<br /></p><p>Researchers at the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (<a href="http://www.seti.org/">Seti</a>) Institute in California want to broadcast greetings to potentially habitable planets in the hope of receiving a reply, but the proposal has met with serious objections from critics, including the cosmologist Stephen Hawking, who claim that yelling into space is reckless.<br /></p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/science/2015/feb/12/alien-search-wont-doom-planet-earth-say-scientists-who-want-to-contact-et">Continue reading...</a>AAASSeti (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence)AstronomySpaceScienceStephen HawkingUS newsWorld newsScience and scepticismThu, 12 Feb 2015 19:00:04 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/science/2015/feb/12/alien-search-wont-doom-planet-earth-say-scientists-who-want-to-contact-etPhotograph: Allstar/20TH CENTURY FOX/Sportsphoto Ltd./AllstarFear of aliens have a grip on popular imagination, often heightened by sci-fi movies.Photograph: Allstar/20TH CENTURY FOX/Sportsphoto Ltd./AllstarFear of aliens have a grip on popular imagination, often heightened by sci-fi movies.Photograph: NASA/Getty ImagesAbove, images and symbols etched on Nasa’s Pioneer plaque that was attached to the Pioneer 10 spacecraft before it was launched into space on 2 March 1972.Photograph: NASA/Getty ImagesAbove, images and symbols etched on Nasa’s Pioneer plaque that was attached to the Pioneer 10 spacecraft before it was launched into space on 2 March 1972.Photograph: Bruno Vincent/Getty ImagesProf Stephen Hawking has described yelling into space as ‘reckless’.Photograph: Bruno Vincent/Getty ImagesProf Stephen Hawking has described yelling into space as ‘reckless’.Photograph: T. Pyle/JPL-CALTECH/NASAAn artist’s impression of Kepler-186f, the first validated Earth-size planet to orbit a distant star in the habitable zone.Photograph: T. Pyle/JPL-CALTECH/NASAAn artist’s impression of Kepler-186f, the first validated Earth-size planet to orbit a distant star in the habitable zone.Ian Sample, science editor, in San Jose2015-02-12T19:00:04ZOscars 2015: why The Theory of Everything should win best picture - videohttp://www.theguardian.com/film/video/2015/feb/10/he-theory-of-everything-should-win-best-picture-oscars-2015-video
In our <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/series/best-picture-oscar-hustings">Best picture Oscar hustings</a> video series, Guardian critics make the case for one of the best picture nominees at this year's Academy awards. Here, Andrew Pulver proves beyond doubt that Stephen Hawking biopic The Theory of Everything is the perfect result for the 2015 Oscars <br /><br />• We'll be launching a video for each movie over the next fortnight before the Oscars ceremony on 22 February. <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/series/best-picture-oscar-hustings">Watch the full series series here</a>.<br />•<a href="https://membership.theguardian.com/event/guardian-film-club-oscars-preview-screening-of-the-apartment-15455345354"> Fancy hearing the Guardian Film team discuss all of this year's contenders, live, and then watching 1961 best picture winner The Apartment? You can!</a> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/video/2015/feb/10/he-theory-of-everything-should-win-best-picture-oscars-2015-video">Continue reading...</a>FilmThe Theory of EverythingOscarsOscars 2015Eddie RedmayneFelicity JonesStephen HawkingCultureTue, 10 Feb 2015 10:03:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/film/video/2015/feb/10/he-theory-of-everything-should-win-best-picture-oscars-2015-videotheguardian.comToE Andrew Pulver Photograph: theguardian.comAndrew Pulver and Paul Frankl2015-02-10T10:03:00ZBaftas 2015: sneak backstage with candid portraits of the winnershttp://www.theguardian.com/film/gallery/2015/feb/09/baftas-2015-portraits-winners-michael-keaton-julie-walters
<p>Guardian photographer Sarah Lee gets an exclusive look behind the scenes at this year’s Baftas at the Royal Opera House – from a chortling Michael Keaton to a sparkling Julie Walters</p><ul><li><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/feb/08/baftas-2015-list-of-winners-as-it-happens">Baftas 2015: full list of winners</a><br></li><li><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/gallery/2015/feb/09/baftas-2015-on-instagram-its-all-about-the-pouts">Baftas 2015 on Instagram: it’s all about the pouts</a></li><li><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2015/feb/09/baftas-2015-10-things-we-learned-">Baftas 2015: 10 things we learned</a></li></ul> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/gallery/2015/feb/09/baftas-2015-portraits-winners-michael-keaton-julie-walters">Continue reading...</a>Baftas 2015FilmBaftasUK newsCulturePhotographySteve CarellMichael KeatonStephen HawkingBenedict CumberbatchKasabianJack O'ConnellDavid BeckhamRalph FiennesJulianne MooreEthan HawkePatricia ArquetteEddie RedmayneJK SimmonsJulie WaltersKeira KnightleyReese WitherspoonMike LeighAwards and prizesMon, 09 Feb 2015 09:57:29 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/film/gallery/2015/feb/09/baftas-2015-portraits-winners-michael-keaton-julie-waltersPhotograph: Sarah Lee for the GuardianPhotograph: Sarah Lee for the GuardianMee-Lai Stone2015-02-09T09:57:29ZBaftas 2015 on Instagram: it's all about the poutshttp://www.theguardian.com/film/gallery/2015/feb/09/baftas-2015-on-instagram-its-all-about-the-pouts
<p>Bafta stars took to their phones and awarded us with bathroom selfies and behind-the-scenes shenanigans. But thanks to request from <a href="http://instagram.com/bafta/">the organisers</a>, the night had a clear theme: kisses <br></p><ul><li><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/live/2015/feb/08/baftas-2015-red-carpet-and-ceremony-winners-and-losers-live">All the red carpet and ceremony action on our live blog with Peter Bradshaw and Hadley Freeman</a></li><li><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/feb/08/baftas-2015-list-of-winners-as-it-happens">Baftas 2015: full list of winners</a></li><li><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2015/feb/08/baftas-2015-birdman-faded-boyhood-surged-peter-bradshaw">‘Birdman faded as Boyhood surged’ – Peter Bradshaw’s verdict</a></li></ul> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/gallery/2015/feb/09/baftas-2015-on-instagram-its-all-about-the-pouts">Continue reading...</a>Baftas 2015BaftasAwards and prizesFilmCultureInstagramMark RuffaloStephen FryThe Hunger GamesSteve CarellJames McAvoyStar WarsChris EvansSupermanTom HiddlestonEddie RedmayneStephen HawkingNoel GallagherKasabianHayley TurnerScience fiction and fantasyMon, 09 Feb 2015 00:10:41 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/film/gallery/2015/feb/09/baftas-2015-on-instagram-its-all-about-the-poutsPhotograph: Insta baftasPhotograph: Insta baftasMarta Bausells2015-02-09T00:10:41ZArtificial intelligence will become strong enough to be a concern, says Bill Gateshttp://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/jan/29/artificial-intelligence-strong-concern-bill-gates
<p>Former Microsoft boss joins Elon Musk and Stephen Hawking in suggesting that the march of AI could be an existential threat to humans</p><p>Bill Gates is the latest prominent figure from the technology industry to express concern about the future evolution of artificial intelligence, although he thinks it will be “decades” before super-intelligent machines pose a threat to humans.</p><p>He joins Elon Musk and Stephen Hawking in suggesting that the march of AI could be an existential threat to humans. The former Microsoft boss gave his opinion during <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/2tzjp7/hi_reddit_im_bill_gates_and_im_back_for_my_third/">his latest Ask Me Anything (AMA) interview on the Reddit</a> networking site.<br /></p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/jan/29/artificial-intelligence-strong-concern-bill-gates">Continue reading...</a>Bill GatesTechnologyArtificial intelligence (AI)ConsciousnessComputingElon MuskStephen HawkingMicrosoftBitcoinCryptocurrenciesUS newsThu, 29 Jan 2015 12:57:38 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/jan/29/artificial-intelligence-strong-concern-bill-gatesPhotograph: Action Press/RexBill Gates thinks it will be ‘decades’ before super-intelligent machines pose a threat to humans.Photograph: Action Press/RexBill Gates thinks it will be ‘decades’ before super-intelligent machines pose a threat to humans.Stuart Dredge2015-01-29T12:57:38ZArtificial intelligence 'will not end human race'http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/jan/28/artificial-intelligence-will-not-end-human-race
<p>Head of Microsoft’s main research lab admits that AI will pose legal, ethical and psychological issues as it becomes more sophisticated</p><p>The head of Microsoft’s main research lab has dismissed fears that artificial intelligence could pose a threat to the survival of the human race.</p><p>Eric Horvitz believed that humans would not “lose control of certain kinds of intelligences”, adding: “In the end we’ll be able to get incredible benefits from machine intelligence in all realms of life, from science to education to economics to daily life.”</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/jan/28/artificial-intelligence-will-not-end-human-race">Continue reading...</a>TechnologyArtificial intelligence (AI)Stephen HawkingMicrosoftElon MuskRobotsComputingScienceWed, 28 Jan 2015 18:08:11 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/jan/28/artificial-intelligence-will-not-end-human-racePhotograph: MicrosoftEric Horvitz, head of the Microsoft Research Redmond lab.Photograph: MicrosoftEric Horvitz, head of the Microsoft Research Redmond lab.Photograph: Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty ImagesSpaceX and Tesla founder Elon Musk.Photograph: Sergei Ilnitsky/EPATitan, created by England Cyberstein Robots, at a food market ahead of a robotics exhibition in Moscow last year.Photograph: Sergei Ilnitsky/EPATitan, created by England Cyberstein Robots, at a food market ahead of a robotics exhibition in Moscow last year.Chris Johnston2015-01-28T18:08:11ZThe reality of being Stephen Hawking is messier than Redmayne can convey | Anne Perkinshttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/jan/15/reality-of-being-stephen-hawking-eddie-redmayne-theory-of-everything
Brilliant though Eddie Redmayne’s performance is, The Theory of Everything leaves the grim reality of managing the most normal daily functions a complete blank<p>Eddie Redmayne has added an <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/jan/15/oscar-nominations-2015-boyhood-clips-birdmans-wings-birdman-soars-over-boyhood-selma-steals-a-march-on-boyhood-and-birdman">Oscar nomination</a> for best actor to <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/video/2015/jan/12/golden-globes-2015-winners-boyhood-eddie-redmayne-video">his Golden Globe</a> for his performance as Stephen Hawking. It is so entrancing and persuasive that the word compelling feels like a limp understatement. All the same, ripples of controversy have spread over the casting of a rather exceptionally abled man to play someone severely disabled. It’s justified because the storyline depends on the trajectory of his brilliant career from party-loving PhD student to severely disabled yet globally renowned cosmologist unable even to speak but still unmistakably Stephen Hawking. Obviously the film would need to start later in the narrative for the part to work with a disabled actor. Maybe the producers thought it would jeopardise the triumph of the human spirit over adversity theme. All the same, Frances Ryan, whose <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/jan/13/eddie-redmayne-golden-globe-stephen-hawking-disabled-actors-characters">article arguing that “cripping up” will one day be seen to be as wrong as blacking up</a> – which brought a storm of abuse – made some fair points.</p><p>It would be a big mistake to take <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/sep/07/theory-of-everything-review-hawking-eddie-redmayne">The Theory of Everything</a> as a user’s guide to living with motor neurone disease. The film hints at the scale of the challenge that faced Hawking’s wife as the disease crept inexorably into him. But it ends up leaving the impression that otherwise it is a matter mainly of the inconvenience of being a wheelchair user with no muscle power, wretched but still heroic. The truth is altogether physically and intellectually more frustrating, messier and far less dignified than Redmayne is allowed to convey.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/jan/15/reality-of-being-stephen-hawking-eddie-redmayne-theory-of-everything">Continue reading...</a>DisabilityStephen HawkingScienceThe Theory of EverythingMotor neurone diseaseSocietyEddie RedmayneFilmWorld newsThu, 15 Jan 2015 20:00:07 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/jan/15/reality-of-being-stephen-hawking-eddie-redmayne-theory-of-everythingPhotograph: /Sportsphoto Ltd/AllstarEddie Redmayne as Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything. Photograph: Sportsphoto Ltd/AllstarPhotograph: /Sportsphoto Ltd/AllstarEddie Redmayne as Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything. Photograph: Sportsphoto Ltd/AllstarAnne Perkins2015-01-15T20:00:07ZWe wouldn’t accept actors blacking up, so why applaud ‘cripping up’? | Frances Ryanhttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/jan/13/eddie-redmayne-golden-globe-stephen-hawking-disabled-actors-characters
Eddie Redmayne, who won a Golden Globe for playing Stephen Hawking, is the latest in a long line of non-disabled actors to portray disabled characters<p>“If you do a film about the Holocaust, <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/4227454/Kate-Winslets-Oscar-hopes-in-doubt-after-Hollywood-backlash-over-Nazi-role.html" title="">you’re guaranteed an Oscar</a>,” goes the famous Kate Winslet joke in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extras_%28TV_series%29" title="">Extras</a>. The same can be said for an actor doing a film about disability. Unless you’re a disabled actor, that is. Then you’re lucky to even get the part.</p><p>This week, when Eddie Redmayne <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/video/2015/jan/12/golden-globes-2015-winners-boyhood-eddie-redmayne-video" title="">won a Golden Globe</a> for his portrayal of Stephen Hawking in <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/sep/07/theory-of-everything-review-hawking-eddie-redmayne" title="">The Theory of Everything</a>, he became the latest in a long line of non-disabled actors to portray disabled characters. And to walk away – literally – with an award for doing so. From Daniel Day Lewis in My Left Foot to Dustin Hoffman in Rain Man, the ability to play “disability” is a definite asset for an actor, a source of genuine acclaim.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/jan/13/eddie-redmayne-golden-globe-stephen-hawking-disabled-actors-characters">Continue reading...</a>FilmThe Theory of EverythingCultureStephen HawkingScienceEddie RedmayneDisabilitySocietyTue, 13 Jan 2015 12:46:41 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/jan/13/eddie-redmayne-golden-globe-stephen-hawking-disabled-actors-charactersPhotograph: Andrew Toth/Getty ImagesDaniel Radcliffe, centre, with Sarah Greene and Pat Shortt in The Cripple Of Inishmaan at the Cort Theatre in New York.Photograph: Andrew Toth/Getty ImagesDaniel Radcliffe, centre, with Sarah Greene and Pat Shortt in The Cripple Of Inishmaan at the Cort Theatre in New York.Photograph: ITV/Rex FeaturesDaniel Day Lewis in My Left Foot.Photograph: ITV/Rex FeaturesDaniel Day Lewis in My Left Foot.Photograph: Liam Daniel/APEddie Redmayne as Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything. Photograph: Liam Daniel/APPhotograph: Liam Daniel/APEddie Redmayne as Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything. Photograph: Liam Daniel/APFrances Ryan2015-01-13T12:46:41ZJane Hawking: ‘I firmly believed in Stephen and his brilliance’http://www.theguardian.com/science/2015/jan/12/jane-hawking-stephen-hawking-first-wife-theory-of-everything-interview
<p>Eddie Redmayne won a Golden Globe for his portrayal of Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything. But how did the scientist’s first wife Jane Hawking, whose book it is based on, feel about the film? </p><p><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/golden-globes-2015">Golden Globes 2015: full coverage</a></p><p><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/the-theory-of-everything">More on The Theory of Everything</a></p><p><strong>The Theory Of Everything was based on your memoir, Travelling to Infinity: My Life With Stephen. How do you feel about the adaptation?</strong></p><p>They made a beautiful film and I had to reconcile myself to the compromises that one has to make for the film industry. Stephen’s colleagues all became one character called Brian who is always there as his companion. Sadly, I didn’t seem to have any friends or relations at all.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/science/2015/jan/12/jane-hawking-stephen-hawking-first-wife-theory-of-everything-interview">Continue reading...</a>Stephen HawkingScienceFilm adaptationsBooksFilmWomenLife and styleThe Theory of EverythingEddie RedmayneMotor neurone diseaseBiopicsCultureMon, 12 Jan 2015 16:51:29 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/science/2015/jan/12/jane-hawking-stephen-hawking-first-wife-theory-of-everything-interviewPhotograph: Ian West/PA WireJane Hawking, Stephen Hawking’s first wife, at the premiere for The Theory of Everything last month. Photograph: Ian West/PA WirePhotograph: Ian West/PA WireJane Hawking, Stephen Hawking’s first wife, at the premiere for The Theory of Everything last month. Photograph: Ian West/PA WireNicola Davis2015-01-12T16:51:29ZThe good, the bad and the ugly: technology immortalised in filmhttp://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/jan/07/technology-immortalised-in-film
<p>From the story of Facebook’s beginnings and the dangers of selfies, to action-packed hacking narratives and robot intelligence, we explore technology imagined on the big screen<br></p><p>There’s a long history of technology appearing in films: from outlandish futuristic advances in science-fiction movies, to social networking and the digital-age presented on screen.</p><p>From “robot lovers” to “the dangers of selfies”, most themes have been covered. Some films nail their depictions of technology, but a lot of others get it embarrassingly wrong, or at least don’t get it 100% right. <br /></p><p>Thanks Facebook, now I'm aware that Kelly Rowland tried to text Nelly in the Dilemma video using Microsoft Excel <a href="http://t.co/w5Cyysiztm">pic.twitter.com/w5Cyysiztm</a></p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/jan/07/technology-immortalised-in-film">Continue reading...</a>TechnologyFilmCultureHerScarlett JohanssonAngelina JolieJonny Lee MillerJoaquin PhoenixSpike JonzeStephen HawkingAppleMobile phonesComputingHackingAnonymousJude LawSteven SpielbergArtificial intelligence (AI)RobotsMichel GondryCharlie KaufmanJim CarreyKate WinsletThe Social NetworkAaron SorkinDavid FincherAshton KutcherSteve JobsJustin TimberlakeJames BondSkyfallDaniel CraigBen WhishawWed, 07 Jan 2015 11:31:07 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/jan/07/technology-immortalised-in-filmPhotograph: Col Pics/Everett / Rex Feature/Col Pics/Everett / Rex FeatureThe Social Network was a critically acclaimed look at Mark Zuckerberg’s invention of Facebook.Photograph: Col Pics/Everett / Rex Feature/Col Pics/Everett / Rex FeatureThe Social Network was a critically acclaimed look at Mark Zuckerberg’s invention of Facebook.Hannah Jane Parkinson2015-01-07T11:31:07ZThe Theory of Everything skips over the black holes of marriage and sciencehttp://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2015/jan/07/the-theory-of-everything-stephen-hawking-eddie-redmayne
<p>James Marsh’s biopic of Stephen Hawking oversimplifies the physics and dodges the darker side of his marriage breakdown, but the precise performance from Eddie Redmayne is out of this world</p><p><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/jan/01/the-theory-of-everything-review-stephen-hawking-biopic-gravity">• The Theory of Everything review – Peter Bradshaw</a><br><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/series/reelhistory">• More from the Reel history archive</a></p><p><strong>The Theory of Everything (2014)</strong><br /><strong>Director: James Marsh</strong><br /><strong>Entertainment grade: B+</strong><br /><strong>History grade: B–</strong></p><p>Theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking’s book A Brief History of Time: From the Big Bang to Black Holes has sold more than 10 million copies.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2015/jan/07/the-theory-of-everything-stephen-hawking-eddie-redmayne">Continue reading...</a>The Theory of EverythingFilmCultureFilm adaptationsStephen HawkingEddie RedmayneBiopicsBooksScienceWed, 07 Jan 2015 09:18:26 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2015/jan/07/the-theory-of-everything-stephen-hawking-eddie-redmaynePhotograph: Allstar/Working Title Films/Sportsphoto Ltd.Eddie Redmayne as Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything.Photograph: Allstar/Working Title Films/Sportsphoto Ltd.Eddie Redmayne as Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything.Photograph: Liam Daniel/AP/Focus FeaturesFelicity Jones as Jane Wilde in The Theory of Everything.Photograph: Liam Daniel/AP/Focus FeaturesFelicity Jones as Jane Wilde in The Theory of Everything.Photograph: Allstar/Working Title FilmsStar-crossed lovers … Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones in The Theory of Everything.Photograph: Allstar/Working Title FilmsStar-crossed lovers … Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones in The Theory of Everything.Alex von Tunzelmann2015-01-07T09:18:26ZThe Theory of Everything star Eddie Redmayne: 'There's a maths teacher out there laughing at me playing Stephen Hawking' – video interviewhttp://www.theguardian.com/film/video/2015/jan/05/theory-of-everything-eddie-redmayne-stephen-hawking-video
Eddie Redmayne, who plays Stephen Hawking in the biopic The Theory of Everything, tells Catherine Shoard why he finds the idea of him playing a genius hilarious. His co-star, Felicity Jones, and director, James Marsh, explain that Hawking's story is as much about the challenges faced by his wife, Jane, as it is about Hawking himself <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/video/2015/jan/05/theory-of-everything-eddie-redmayne-stephen-hawking-video">Continue reading...</a>The Theory of EverythingEddie RedmayneOscarsOscars 2015ScienceStephen HawkingFilmCultureBiopicsDramaFelicity JonesMon, 05 Jan 2015 11:41:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/film/video/2015/jan/05/theory-of-everything-eddie-redmayne-stephen-hawking-videoCatherine Shoard and Henry Barnes2015-01-05T11:41:00ZEvery great individual stands on the shoulders of others | Owen Joneshttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/jan/04/stephen-hawking
Even Stephen Hawking’s formidable achievements are the product of a huge network of collaboration. We mustn’t forget the collective contribution to personal success<p>Stephen Hawking is the icon of individual achievement in the face of almost unimaginable adversity. A diagnosis of motor neurone disease is almost always a death sentence, and one more frightening than most. As the moving new film of Hawking’s life, <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/the-theory-of-everything">The Theory of Everything</a>, shows, he was a gifted 21-year-old student embarking on his Cambridge PhD in 1963 when his condition was discovered. Given two years to live, the young scientist went from cheerfully cycling around Cambridge to being told his body would waste away until he stopped breathing.</p><p>And yet Hawking lives: at 72, he is only a few years away from the average life expectancy for a British male. Not only has his body exceeded the expectations of medical science, but also his mind has flourished. Even as he has become nearly paralysed, the electronic voice synthesiser through which he speaks has become instantly recognisable: Hawking is the world’s most celebrated living scientist.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/jan/04/stephen-hawking">Continue reading...</a>Stephen HawkingThe Theory of EverythingScience prizesFilmCultureScienceSocietySun, 04 Jan 2015 18:15:31 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/jan/04/stephen-hawkingPhotograph: APRosa Parks disobedience was agreed with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.Photograph: APRosa Parks disobedience was agreed with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.Photograph: APMuhammad Ali was trained up by Chuck Bodak, among others.Photograph: APMuhammad Ali was trained up by Chuck Bodak, among others.Photograph: Allstar/Working Title FilmsEddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones as Stephen and Jane Hawking in The Theory of Everything. ‘Hawking’s work would surely have been impossible if it were not for his wife of a quarter of a century.’ Photograph: Allstar/Working Title FilmsPhotograph: Allstar/Working Title FilmsEddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones as Stephen and Jane Hawking in The Theory of Everything. ‘Hawking’s work would surely have been impossible if it were not for his wife of a quarter of a century.’ Photograph: Allstar/Working Title FilmsOwen Jones2015-01-04T18:15:31ZThe Theory of Everything review – everything but the theoryhttp://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/jan/04/theory-of-everything-steven-hawking-film-review
The science bit is largely absent from James Marsh’s intimate biopic of Stephen Hawking<p>James Marsh, the British director of documentaries <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/man-on-wire" title=""><em>Man on Wire</em></a> and <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/movie/142243/project-nim" title=""><em>Project Nim</em></a> and a third of the very dark <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/red-riding" title=""><em>Red Riding</em></a> TV trilogy, here turns in an accomplished but conventional biopic of Professor <a href="http://www.hawking.org.uk/" title="">Stephen Hawking</a>. Literately scripted by Anthony McCarten from the memoir by the subject’s ex-wife, <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/theobserver/2004/apr/04/features.review17" title="">Jane Hawking</a>, the film follows the physicist from carefree cycling days in Cambridge, through the onset of motor neurone disease, to <em>A Brief History of Time</em> and the advent of the world’s most recognised electronic voice. It feels churlish to complain that the film is uncritical; we’re talking about one of the transcendent intellects of our age, so what’s to criticise? But this Working Title production is somewhat fuzzily life-affirming, and you wonder whether Hawking in his youth was quite as irrepressibly impish as <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/eddie-redmayne" title="">Eddie Redmayne</a> makes him here.</p><p>Essentially an intimate marital drama rather than a career story, the film sometimes plays its ironies a little knowingly – at one point young Stephen shrugs that he has “no ideas”, whereas we all think of Hawking as idea incarnate. Redmayne’s quietly exuberant performance is admirable and engaging, never over-stressing its tour de force dimension. But the real colour is brought by <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/2011/feb/20/felicity-jones-chalet-girl-interview" title="">Felicity Jones</a> as Jane – crisp, sensitive, down-to-earth in a very suburban way. Marsh’s talent at creating vivid, textured images, with <a href="http://www.benoitdelhomme.com/" title="">Beno&icirc;t Delhomme</a> behind the camera, brings an extra resonance, although (the odd illustrative effect notwithstanding) you don’t get that much sense of what Hawking’s achievement means. Not so much The&nbsp;Theory of Everything as everything but the theory.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/jan/04/theory-of-everything-steven-hawking-film-review">Continue reading...</a>The Theory of EverythingStephen HawkingEddie RedmayneFilmCultureSun, 04 Jan 2015 08:05:16 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/jan/04/theory-of-everything-steven-hawking-film-reviewPhotograph: Allstar/Working Title FilmsThe ‘quietly exuberant’ Eddie Redmayne as Stephen Hawking with Felicity Jones as Jane Hawking, ‘the real colour’ in The Theory of Everything. Photograph: Allstar/Working Title FilmsPhotograph: Allstar/Working Title FilmsThe ‘quietly exuberant’ Eddie Redmayne as Stephen Hawking with Felicity Jones as Jane Hawking, ‘the real colour’ in The Theory of Everything. Photograph: Allstar/Working Title FilmsJonathan Romney2015-01-04T08:05:16ZHow my trip to the cinema reminded me of the English distaste for hatred | Will Huttonhttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/jan/04/englishness-hatred-ukip-conservative-politics-alan-turing-stephen-hawking
As the Conservative party lurches to the right, films portraying Alan Turing and Stephen Hawking remind us that extremism is not in our national character<p>Hating comes hard to the English. We do intolerance, prejudice, self-interest and jingoism as well as anyone if not better, but English culture is not kind to outright hating. It is difficult to build a hating political movement in a culture where understatement, self-effacement, good manners, fair play and humour, the essence of the notion of Englishness, are rated so highly. Acceptable behaviour has to be proportional to circumstance. But hate is not proportional; it is not to be capped.</p><p>The rise of hatred driving the new rightwing English political populism is thus unexpected. One feature of English conservatism is that it reaps vast political rewards from being naturally associated with those of high social standing to whom deference is reflexively and unthinkingly offered, so helping to take the politics out of its political support. But social standing in England cannot be disentangled from a notion of English gentlemanliness and with it proportionality. Gentlemen may have intense dislikes but they don’t hate. Nor historically have Conservatives hated; rather, they are quintessential (if faux) representatives of English reasonableness and proportionality.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/jan/04/englishness-hatred-ukip-conservative-politics-alan-turing-stephen-hawking">Continue reading...</a>PoliticsUK Independence party (Ukip)Nigel FarageConservativesAlan TuringStephen HawkingFilmAlan JohnsonSun, 04 Jan 2015 03:05:10 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/jan/04/englishness-hatred-ukip-conservative-politics-alan-turing-stephen-hawkingPhotograph: Sportsphoto/Allstar‘Self-effacing’: Stephen Hawking, played (right) by Eddie Redmayne in the The Theory of Everything, reacted to adversity in the English fashion. Photograph: Sportsphoto/AllstarPhotograph: Sportsphoto/Allstar‘Self-effacing’: Stephen Hawking, played (right) by Eddie Redmayne in the The Theory of Everything, reacted to adversity in the English fashion. Photograph: Sportsphoto/AllstarWill Hutton2015-01-04T03:05:10ZThe Theory of Everything review – Stephen Hawking biopic finds gravityhttp://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/jan/01/the-theory-of-everything-review-stephen-hawking-biopic-gravity
<p>Eddie Redmayne brings unforced intelligence to this startlingly mature portrait of a complex and troubled marriage<br></p><p>Here is an unexpectedly charming, moving and powerfully acted film about the enigma that is <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/science/hawking">Stephen W Hawking</a>, the Cambridge theoretical physicist who survived a form of <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/society/motor-neurone-disease">motor neurone disease</a> (MND) that was expected to kill him by his mid-20s, and became a pioneer of the study of black holes, a bestselling author and the world’s most famous wheelchair user. By working from a memoir of his flawed marriage written by his ex-wife, Jane Hawking (the second and more temperate of the two books she has written), screenwriter Anthony McCarten and director James Marsh have swerved a lot, if not quite all, of the cliches about all-too-human scientist-geniuses and they have created a startlingly grown-up portrait of a difficult, troubled relationship.</p><p>As it happens, this film does in a number of ways resemble <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/the-imitation-game">The Imitation Game</a> – the recent movie about wartime codebreaker Alan Turing – and that film’s star, <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/culture/benedict-cumberbatch">Benedict Cumberbatch</a>, has himself played Hawking in a 2004 TV movie. But The Theory of Everything is trying for something more real, true and intimate in its study of the compromises made within a marriage with unique pressures.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/jan/01/the-theory-of-everything-review-stephen-hawking-biopic-gravity">Continue reading...</a>The Theory of EverythingBiopicsFilmCultureStephen HawkingEddie RedmayneThe Green RayWorld cinemaDramaEric RohmerPhysicsScienceThu, 01 Jan 2015 15:30:01 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/jan/01/the-theory-of-everything-review-stephen-hawking-biopic-gravityPhotograph: Liam Daniel/APRedmayne brings unforced intelligence to his performance as Stephen Hawking. Photograph: Liam Daniel/APPhotograph: Liam Daniel/APRedmayne brings unforced intelligence to his performance as Stephen Hawking. Photograph: Liam Daniel/APPhotograph: Allstar/WORKING TITLE FILMS/Sportsphoto Ltd./Allstar‘Brainy chaps in sports jackets’ … Harry Lloyd (left) as one of Hawking’s university friends. Sportsphoto Ltd/AllstarPhotograph: Allstar/WORKING TITLE FILMS/Sportsphoto Ltd./Allstar‘Brainy chaps in sports jackets’ … Harry Lloyd (left) as one of Hawking’s university friends. Sportsphoto Ltd/AllstarPhotograph: Allstar/WORKING TITLE FILMSSums and lovers … Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones in The Theory of Everything. Photograph: Allstar/Working title.Photograph: Allstar/WORKING TITLE FILMSSums and lovers … Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones in The Theory of Everything. Photograph: Allstar/Working title.Peter Bradshaw2015-01-01T15:30:01Z